The NEI Central Transgenic Animal Production Facility is a research support facility for all NEI intramural researchers requiring the use of transgenic mice in their research programs. We are providing transgenic animal support to 18 researchers from four laboratories in the NEI (Laboratory of Immunology, Laboratory of Mechanisms of Ocular Diseases, Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, and Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology); in our program, there are 52 DNA constructs at various stages of completion. NEI researchers using molecular biology techniques to study the eye submit DNA constructs to our section for production of transgenic mice. We create transgenic mice by standard procedures, then biopsy and perform DNA analysis on mice born from these procedures to identify positive mice. At researchers' request, we mate positive transgenic mice, wean litters, biopsy and analyze DNA from successive generations of transgenic mice, and provide the transgenic animals to researchers for use in their experiments. Over the year we have generated 129 transgenic mice from 26 DNA constructs; set up 231 mating of transgenic mice; weaned, tagged, and tail-biopsied 3,033 mice; and isolated DNA and performed DNA analysis on 2,313 biopsy samples. We are working toward creating an embryo cryopreservation and banking program to provide long-term storage of important transgenic lines to eliminate the need to maintain live mice. In addition to service functions, we collaborate with NEI researchers on transgenic animal projects. This year we collaborated with Dr. Igal Gery (Laboratory of Immunology, NEI) in creating DNA constructs, and subsequently transgenic mice, to examine the immunologic consequences of expressing foreign antigens in the encapsulated ocular lens.